Ynyshir House Colliery

Overview

The first colliery in Ynyshir and one of the first in the Rhondda Fach, sunk by Shepherd and Evans in 1845, worked by Francis Crawshay for his Treforest tinplate works and later as Thomas Jones's Jones Navigation pit, until it closed in 1909.

History

Ynyshir Colliery, also called Ynyshir House and Jones's pit, was the earliest major mining venture at Ynyshir and only the second pit sunk in the Rhondda Fach. Messrs Shepherd and Evans, trading as the Ynyshir Coal Company, sank it in 1845, with a downcast shaft of 177 feet and an upcast of 167 feet, to the No. 2 Rhondda seam, which was worked at between 30 and 36 inches. The first houses of Ynyshir grew up around it as a loose scatter of rows.

Francis Crawshay bought the colliery in 1856 and sent its coal to his tinplate works at Treforest. It was later sold to Thomas Jones of Maendy House, Ynyshir, who built coke ovens fed with No. 2 Rhondda coal, and it became known as the Jones Navigation Colliery. On 18 March 1857 an explosion of gas killed four miners. In 1896, with William Rosser as manager, it employed 44 men underground and 6 on the surface.

The Ynyshir Steam Coal Company later owned it, and 55 men were employed in 1908. The colliery closed on 31 January 1909, unprofitable, its No. 2 Rhondda workings abandoned that year.

Geology

The No. 2 Rhondda seam of the South Wales Coal Measures, worked at between 30 and 36 inches and used for house coal and for coking in the colliery's own ovens.

Workings

A downcast shaft of 177 feet and an upcast of 167 feet to the No. 2 Rhondda seam, with coke ovens at the surface.

Closure

Closed on 31 January 1909 as unprofitable; the No. 2 Rhondda workings were abandoned that year.

What remains

Unknown.

Redevelopment

Unknown.

Related mines

• Lady Lewis Colliery — Neighbouring Rhondda Fach pits described on the same Welsh Coal Mines page; Lady Lewis opened in 1904, five years before this colliery closed.
• Ynyshir Colliery — The two Ynyshir pits: the 1845 colliery and the Standard pits sunk from 1875, which grew the village between them.

What's uncertain

Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.

• Sunk as Ynishir Colliery in 1849, when one shaft reached the No. 2 Rhondda seam at 198 feet. (disputed) ⁴
• Sold to Thomas Jones of Maendy House, Ynyshir, in 1873 and worked as the Jones Navigation Colliery. (uncertain) ^1,2
• Bought by Thomas Jones in 1878 and renamed the Jones Navigation Colliery. (uncertain) ⁴
• The colliery closed in 1901. (disputed) ⁴

Recorded claims

Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.

• Sunk in 1845 by Messrs Shepherd and Evans, trading as the Ynyshir Coal Company, the earliest major mining venture at Ynyshir. ^1,2,3
• Sunk as Ynishir Colliery in 1849, when one shaft reached the No. 2 Rhondda seam at 198 feet. (disputed) ⁴
• The downcast shaft was 177 feet deep and the upcast 167 feet. ¹
• Francis Crawshay bought it in 1856 to supply coal to his tinplate works at Treforest. ^1,4,2
• Sold to Thomas Jones of Maendy House, Ynyshir, in 1873 and worked as the Jones Navigation Colliery. (uncertain) ^1,2
• Bought by Thomas Jones in 1878 and renamed the Jones Navigation Colliery. (uncertain) ⁴
• An explosion of gas on 18 March 1857 killed four miners. ¹
• In 1896, with William Rosser as manager, it employed 44 men underground and 6 on the surface. ^1,4
• The colliery closed on 31 January 1909. ^1,2
• The colliery closed in 1901. (disputed) ⁴
• The abandonment plan of the Ynyshir or Ynyshir House workings in the No. 2 Rhondda seam is dated 1909. ⁵

Photographs & further reading

Sources

1. (secondary) Lady Lewis Colliery — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (secondary) Historic Landscape Characterisation: Rhondda 017, Ynyshir — Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust
3. (secondary) Ynyshir (Rhondda heritage trail) — Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council
4. (secondary) Jones Navigation Colliery — Northern Mine Research Society
5. (primary) BGS mine plan: Ynyshir or Ynyshir House (No. 2 Rhondda seam), abandoned 1909 — British Geological Survey / Mining Remediation Authority

Record created: 8 October 2026 · Last researched: 9 October 2026